Audrey Cahak

The Washington Ballet’s Artistic Director, Edwaard Liang, has added another ballet to his repertoire of re-imagined classics. Giselle through Liang’s eyes is a dramatic, whimsical rework which raises the stakes and strips back the stage to show the heart of the hauntingly stunning piece.

As part of their self-ascribed “year of world premieres,” Olney Theatre Center is debuting the profoundly peppy, wonderfully messy, coming-of-age celebration Little Miss Perfect, written by Joriah Kwamé. The musical has been in development for more than five years, originally based on the catchy song of the same title written by Kwamé, which found stardom in the 2020 Write Out Loud contest. 

The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater kicked off a 20-city tour with 11 shows at the Warner Theatre. Every night held its own program full of instantly iconic world premieres and everlasting repertoire favorites. 

Classical Arts Entertainment is on their annual North American tour and stopped by Strathmore on January 17th for a glitzy, glamorous rendition of Swan Lake, where the set pieces, principal dancers, and costumes shone like snow in moonlight. 

The Washington Ballet’s The Nutcracker was a faithful rendition of the holiday classic with a whimsical Washingtonian twist. When it comes to the ballet classic Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker, you'll find that each company strives to find a way to make it new again.

Hadestown is a song you’ll want to hear again and again and again and again. And the cast of the national tour sings it in a way that honors the original yet rings with a sound all their own.

Creative Cauldron is uplifting children’s theater and giving young actors opportunities to fly in their original, musical adaptation of Peter Pan and Wendy. However, the script could use some more fairy dust to adapt it for a modern rendition. 

The Washington Ballet kicked off its 49th season with a well-rounded, vibrant showcase of its current talent and built anticipation for its upcoming half-century celebration. 

What did our critic think of RED PITCH at Olney Theatre? Red Pitch is a game-changer. One can tell from the play’s simultaneous use of a soccer consultant, dialect coach, fight choreographer, and on-site medic that it takes some serious practice and grit to bring this piece to life.  

The Kennedy Center’s Local Dance Comissioning Project (LDCP) 2024/2025 awardees Jamison Curcio and Shanice Mason presented a vulnerable, metaphysical dance autobiography in I have a secret to tell you…. 

What did our critic think of DISNEY'S ALADDIN DUAL LANGUAGE EDITION at Creative Cauldron? With a rub of a lamp, the Falls Church community theater turned into the singing and shining city of Agrabah, rounded out with a Spanish- and English-speaking cast. 

The Avant Bard Theatre’s niche lies in reinventing the classics, and to close out its 35th season, Avant Bard Theatre is taking on Shakespeare’s Hamlet. This rendition, directed by artistic associate Kathleen Akerley, uses an abridged original script (with no sign of the Danes) while bending the tone, characters, and scenes with heightened malice and sorrow to explore how grief impacts the story.

Acosta Danza’s program Cuban Ecléctico ran in the Eisenhower Theater at the Kennedy Center for just three days, but the show deserved much more stage time, both to receive a greater audience and to refine their performance. 

The Washington Ballet’s ALICE (in wonderland) is a theatrical, whimsical, and approachable translation of Lewis Carroll’s iconic duology, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. 

What did our critic think of BEOWULF: A RETELLING by Taffety Punk Theatre? Experience a dynamic retelling of Beowulf by Taffety Punk Theatre. Performed April 4-19 at Capitol Hill Arts Workshop. Don't miss it!

What did our critic think of AMERICAN FAST at Theater Alliance?

The elite performers of Complexions Contemporary Ballet took to the Opera House stage from March 20th to the 22nd for their first full company engagement at the Kennedy Center. In the same month that the Black Lives Matter Pavillion was being demolished and the executive branch began asserting control over the Kennedy Center’s programming, Complexions’s presence in the capital was controversial. Yet, the show delivered a message of resilience and bravery that is important to uphold in times of unrest.